Naruto: Rebuilding the Hidden Sand Village

Early Winter, Year 47 of the Hidden Leaf Calendar.

Kirigakure officially surrendered to Konohagakure. Word was that an internal rampage by a Tailed Beast caused severe casualties in the Mist Village, leaving them too weakened to continue a full-scale war against the Leaf. Their only choice was to surrender, recall their shinobi, and enter a phase of recovery and development.

As for Konoha... the village that had always yearned for peace was, as always, gracious in victory. They didn't seize the chance to bleed the four defeated villages dry. In fact, to maintain its image as the foremost shinobi village in the world, Konoha even turned a blind eye to the inability of some villages to pay reparations. This great-nation attitude earned widespread admiration—even from their former enemies.

Truly, Konohagakure is the shining hope of the shinobi world!

There were even a few shirtless, gruff shinobi muttering under their breath, cursing some broke village for trying to profit off war. "Why can't they learn from Konoha's magnanimity? What's a few tens of millions of ryo compared to the value of peace?"

Of course… Rasa didn't pay attention to any of this. After all, the eighty million Ryo he received had already been spent on his game's gacha. No matter how much Kumogakure complained, there was no getting it back. If they wanted it, they could try asking his gacha pool!

In short—once again, Konohagakure had emerged victorious from a four-on-one war, stunning the entire shinobi world. And with all eyes on Konoha, other matters—such as the flashy role the Fourth Kazekage himself played in the war—quickly faded into the background.

This war… Sunagakure fought a brutal three-on-one and barely scraped a victory, even getting set up by Iwagakure. It would likely take a long time to recover.

Their core strength? At most, two reliable shinobi. Right now, they could barely keep the village running, let alone worry about development.

So, few paid attention to Sunagakure's prospects.

If they could even send out shinobi this winter, it would be nothing short of divine blessing from the Sage of Six Paths.

This year, the entire shinobi world fell into an unusual quiet. After war... came the baby boom. What else would returning, battle-hardened shinobi do at home?

Of course—get down to it. Passionately.

Villages across the world entered a phase of recuperation and population growth, trying to heal the wounds left by war with peaceful daily life.

Sunagakure, too, entered a full recovery phase, turning its focus to economic development.

After all, with the end of the Third Great Ninja War, all future conflicts seemed to bypass the Sand. If they didn't take this chance to rebuild, when would they?

And peace time was also a critical period for technological advancement.

In just a decade or so, the shinobi world's technology would explode in growth. Tools and methods that had proven flawed during the war would be refined and improved.

Still—this was a world dominated by shinobi. Progress here was always tied to ninja needs. So naturally, things moved a bit slower compared to the civilian world.

Rasa glanced over the documents in his hand. His eyes lit up, a pleased smile forming at the corners of his mouth. A moment later, he looked up at Elder Ebizō, who, this winter, seemed to have aged even more. The old man had stopped wearing his shinobi vest entirely. Though Rasa had kept his title as Sunagakure's advisor even after his semi-retirement, Ebizō had spent most of his time tucked away in the mountains, leaving village matters alone.

Apparently, when this man said he was retiring… he meant it. Not like a certain other old geezer from the future, still meddling even after two Kage changes.

Rasa's smile deepened as he read the document Ebizō had submitted.

A few moments later, he nodded and said, "Looks like your team really did pull it off. But… the issues of soil erosion and nutrient depletion still need to be addressed. We can't just keep replacing soil every few months. And as for our desert conversion plans… even if we can't fully turn it into arable land, we at least need to halt further desertification."

After all, the man was getting old. He couldn't just spend his remaining years fishing with his sister, right?

What if their minds started wandering?

Might as well give them something meaningful to do. Chiyo still had Kanaand Kabuto to mentor, so her time was limited anyway.

As for Ebizō—everything he knew, Chiyo knew better. So there was no need for him to teach anyone. Agricultural research would suit him fine.

And honestly, bonsai cultivation wasn't exactly hard. The pots were just a little bigger now—and square. As long as they controlled the scale, it would work.

"I've been working on that," Ebizō said, stroking his long beard with a smile. "If we can turn the desert into farmland, wouldn't that be a blessing for Sunagakure?"

If they succeeded, his name might rival—even surpass—that of the First Kazekage who founded the village.

It was no small matter.

"Sand and wind control has always been a subject of research in Sunagakure. Even the sand stabilization and fertilization techniques Lord Kazekage mentioned last time, the village has consistently been experimenting with them and has seen some results. But in this area… water resources are extremely important."

At that, worry flickered in his eyes. After all, relations with Kirigakure were... tense.

He sighed.

"As for that matter—"

But before he could finish—

"Sunagakure did nothing wrong. Peace gained by sacrificing the village's heroes is ultimately a joke," Rasa cut him off with a pained expression. "Pakura is a hero who made tremendous contributions to Sunagakure—not some disposable tool."

"But the Land of Wind needs water!"

"And Kirigakure isn't the only village that can create it."

"But…" Ebizō looked at the unyielding Kazekage, sighing wistfully. "The water level in the back mountains has dropped considerably recently. That girl Kana alone… can't possibly fully supply the entire Hidden Village's water needs."

Let alone that water-guzzling gold refinery!

But right now, Sunagakure had no income. Multiple defeats had drained their resources. Sure, they had the massive victory of capturing the Fourth Raikage, but clients still preferred to hire undefeated Konoha over a struggling, barely victorious Sand Village.

And truthfully, the Sand's shinobi weren't ready to take on missions en masse either. Most of their capable fighters were still with Pakura. The few remaining in the village were just keeping things running.

To support the war effort against Kirigakure, Sunagakure had made incredible sacrifices.

They couldn't afford to shut down the gold refinery now. In fact, they needed to improve its refining techniques—too much valuable metal was still being wasted.

But the water issue…

"We must find a solution to the water shortage, Lord Kazekage!"

"…."

Was it that serious?

Rasa paused slightly, thinking of his original plan. But the time wasn't ripe yet, and his wallet wasn't thick enough, so for now… he could only abandon it.

He thought for a moment, then lowered his head, crossing his hands in front of his nose, murmuring darkly, "It's time to have a serious talk with her!"

"You have an idea?" Ebizō asked, curious. "If there's a way to help, let me know. I'd be glad to lend a hand."

"You can't help with this," Rasa replied, shaking his head. "Pakura's unit will be returning in a few days. You'd better think about how to handle that. As for the water… I'll talk to her later."

"Pakura… I don't mind," Ebizō said after a pause, sighing. "At most, she just holds some grudges against me. But…"

He trailed off as Rasa fell deep into thought again.

"…Lord Kazekage, who exactly are you planning to talk to?"

Can she really solve the water problem?

PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin